Summary
Unauthorized privilege escalation in Mod module
Workarounds
Unloading the Mod module with unload mod or, disabling the massban command with command disable global massban can render this exploit not accessible. We still highly recommend updating to 3.4.1 to completely patch this issue.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Cog-Creators/Red-DiscordBot
- Over on our Discord server
Impact
An unauthorized privilege escalation exploit has been discovered in the Mod module: this exploit allows Discord users with a high privilege level within the guild to bypass hierarchy checks when the application is in a specific condition that is beyond that user's control. By abusing this exploit, it's possible to perform destructive actions within the guild the user has high privileges in.
CVE-2020-15278 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.4.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
This exploit has been fixed on version & 3.4.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-15278? CVE-2020-15278 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in red-discordbot (pip), affecting versions < 3.4.1. It is fixed in 3.4.1.
- How severe is CVE-2020-15278? CVE-2020-15278 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of red-discordbot are affected by CVE-2020-15278? red-discordbot (pip) versions < 3.4.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-15278? Yes. CVE-2020-15278 is fixed in 3.4.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-15278 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-15278 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2020-15278 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-15278? Upgrade
red-discordbotto 3.4.1 or later.